\\\\\\\'

The Batter Thickens

A food blog balancing sweet treats & healthy eats.

Champagne Sage and Chicken Baked Pasta

By

Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe

I talked about my family’s New Year’s Eve plans in this post, and I mentioned our three course dinner. This was the main course. I wanted to incorporate champagne into it, because it seemed thematic to NYE. This recipe could also just be prepped and then baked for 20 minutes, so I could sit and enjoy the meal as well. That’s a win-win! A tasty win-win. And when I googled “champagne pasta” and Half Baked Harvest recipe came up, it only took a few quick changes to make it this Champagne Chicken Pasta.

This is definitely not a light meal. But you’re not going to be making it for a light meal occasion. You have to make it for a celebratory occasion!

Or… because you have all the of the ingredients still leftover in the fridge and don’t really know how else to use them up. That’s why I made it a second time.

I still have some sage leftover, and I think I should set a New Year’s resolution to use more sage. It’s tasty, and I feel like I have not utilized it nearly as much as other herbs.

This is a rich, creamy, cheesy pasta. I added in the chicken so there’s a protein. I swapped gorgonzola for ricotta because… I don’t like gorgonzola. It would probably be even more intense with the ‘zola. I’ll leave that for other people to try. I used a super cheap champagne (“the cheapest one they have!” is what I told my dad), because I don’t like the idea of wasting to good stuff on cooking. The cheap stuff also tastes pretty strong, and definitely comes through in the sauce.

The other more unusual ingredient is the truffle oil. Which, you can definitely leave out. It’s just a garnish on top, and wasn’t super strong. The really odd thing about the truffle oil is that the only place near me that stocked it was an Ace Hardware. It’s actually available at most Ace Hardwares. I was skeptical up until the moment I found it in the store. It was just on an end cap, with some other hot sauces and things. I also ended up buying citric acid powder in the Ace Hardware, because I want to use it in some Milk Bar recipes, and also because I felt silly just buying truffle oil.

But now I’ve got two extra ingredients to keep in my pantry, just as I’m trying to clear it out. More on that in a future post. Oh well. I’ll use them up. The truffle oil cost an arm and a leg, so I will hopefully use it for some good things.

This is a bit of a random meal to eat as leftovers for a few days, but… it definitely adds a fancy feeling to an otherwise mundane Tuesday night!

Print

Champagne Sage and Chicken Baked Pasta

  • Author: Audrey
Print

Ingredients

  • 1 pound chicken breast, chopped into chunks
  • 1 tbsp olive oil or other neutral oil
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 2 cloves garlic minced or grated
  • 4 leaves sage, chopped
  • 4 ounces cream cheese at room temperature
  • 2 cups heavy cream (or 1 cup milk + 1 cup cream)
  • 1 1/2 cups champagne (the cheap kind. You can also sub chicken or veggie broth)
  • 1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese plus more for topping
  • Red pepper flakes, plus salt and pepper, to taste
  • 1/2 cup ricotta cheese
  • 1 pound pasta of choice
  • 2 tablespoon truffle oil (optional)

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. In a medium pan over medium heat, add oil and chicken breast chunks. Keep it going while you prepare the rest of the pasta, stirring occasionally and allowing the chicken to cook through.
  3. Heat a large cast iron skillet or brasier with high sides over medium-high heat. Add the butter, garlic and sage. Cook for 3-5 minutes or until the garlic is fragrant and the sage crispy. Stir in the cream and cream cheese. Bring to a boil and simmer until smooth and creamy, about 5 minutes. Add the champagne, ricotta, crushed red pepper, and a good pinch of salt and pepper. Whisk until the cheese has fully melted. Stir in one cup of water, bring to a boil and then add the dry pasta noodles and place the lid on the pot. Once the noodles have softened into the sauce (they can still be hard), add in the cooked chicken and stir together. Transfer the pasta and sauce to a 9×13″ dish and bake for 20-25 minutes. Stir the pasta and season with salt and pepper.
  4. To serve, plate the pasta. Garnish with black pepper, grated parmesan, and optional truffle oil.

Notes

Adapted from Half Baked Harvest

Never miss a post!